Connecticut western news., 1887-06-22
A DEATH STRUGGLE.
The Terrible Fire Experience of an
 Oil We'll Operator.

Robert Stevens of Tarentum, Penn., former ly an active oil we'll operator, but now shriv- eled cripple, with both hands gone, has brought suit against John Denlnan and Mills < Mullin, the rich oil we'll owners of Macks, burg, Ohio, to recover S50, 900 damages, charg- ing that they knowingly subjected him to the danger which resulted in his crippling and in the horrible death of two fellow-w -workmen, . danger of which both he and the other vic, tlms wero kept in ignorance. According to defendants had drilled a we'll in the Macks- burg field, in D pioneer district, and, to fur ther tho ends that they had in view made
 mystery" of the well. They represented that It would be but a very small producer, and permitted no stranger to come near
 It. Edward Mills, Q young man named Jo- seph Ayenrs, and the complainant in this suit were employed one day to assist in pulling the tubing in the well for the purpose of ad- Justlng the packer. Stevens, on going to the derrick, noticed that the boiler, instead of being at safe distance from the engine and well, was in close and dangerous proximity to both. Stevens now charges that this was done to indicate that the we'll was not yielding much oil, in order that any one who might be scouting" about it would be deceived as to its character.
 Stevens and Mills were at work on the der rick floor and Ayers was stationed on the der rlck forty feet from the ground. The moment the packer was disturbed the well made trc- "oHuouS HOW Ol OH ana gas. MILLS ana stew ems ran from the derrick, but the gas quickly settled down about the boiler and a terrible explosion followed. The clothing of the men being saturated with oil from head to foot, Mills and Stevens were instantly wrapped in flames.
 ''The James," says Stevens, 'srose up from our feet, and were met bya great volume of fire that came down from above. All that I re- member of that part of the catastrophe was a phndlnS flash and a report like a nearby clap of thunder. The gas seemed to settle In wide area around the derrick, and it all went off together. A sea of flame equal to an acre in extent surrounded us, and the entire earth and sky seemed to be on fire. Mills and 1 turned and ran, blazing as we were, with no definite idea of what we were to do. Iremem- Der getting out of the great sweep of flame, and then, with every stitch of cloth- ing burned from us, our falling in the tall and wet marsh grass on the edge of the fire, and rolling about in it. We were so terribly burned that great pieces of our flesh came of and stuck to the grass as we rolled in it. we tumbled about, suffering the most terrible agony, until We had rolled more than ten rods away from the flaming gas and oil. and 1 then struggled to my feet. I had my sight, and seeing Mills writhing on the ground, helped him to his feet. Both of his eyes were burned out. l managed to reach 9 house about hun- dred yards distant. helping Mills along with me. He died horrible death shortly after We reached there. I lay there seven weeks, moro dead than alive, but finally recovered, with both of my hands gone and every inch of my flesh shriveled and scared by tho terrible or deal through which had passed. Poor Joe Ayers was burned up in the derrick"